Richard Thompson Defies the Elements

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Richard Thompson Defies the Elements — Jun 22nd 2007

By James Marcus

Originally I had no plans to write about Richard Thompson's performance last night in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. I was attending the show as a civilian, with neither pen nor paper nor even a cell phone for a few handy, low-resolution photos. What's more, the heavens opened about five minutes into the show, driving much of the audience to seek shelter under trees, awnings, and about one thousand umbrellas. Surely this would be enough to dampen the spirits of any performer, let alone one like Thompson, who has spent the last four decades trying to expand his reach beyond an admittedly fanatic cult.

Instead, the 58-year-old singer, songwriter, and guitar virtuoso seemed eager to defy the elements. With the rain still sprinkling down and bolts of lighting going off like apocalyptic flashbulbs, he led his four-piece band through a consistently brilliant set. There were songs from Thompson's newest disc, Sweet Warrior, including a hypnotic take on "Sunset Song" and his rambunctious anti-war rocker, "Dad's Gonna Kill Me." But he also favored the audience with several gems from Shoot Out The Lights, the 1982 magnum opus he and Linda Thompson recorded as a husband-and-wife team. And toward the end of the show, Teddy Thompson clambered onstage for a ravishing duet performance of "Persuasion," which Thompson originally composed as an instrumental for soundtrack of the 1990 film Sweet Talker.

As usual, Thompson had a superb band in tow. A bassist whose name I didn't catch locked into one Olde English groove after another with drummer Michael Jerome. Peter Zorn, another Thompson mainstay, has turned into one of the great utility players in pop music, juggling acoustic guitar, mandolin, three saxophones (soprano, alto, baritone), and baritone flute--as well as supplying harmony vocals in a style I can only call lusty.

Still, it was during Thompson's solo performance of "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" that I decided to write something about the concert after all. I've heard him play this showpiece--perhaps the only medieval motorcycle ballad in existence--many times, and his live versions invariably put the original recording (on the 1991 Rumor and Sigh) in the shade. But this version now made the other ones sound a little half-hearted. Thompson growled out the verses, ending each one on shivery low note. During the instrumental passages, he layered all sorts of polyrhythmic magic on top of his Merle-Travis-goes-Celtic bass line, and generally made it hard to believe there was only a single person playing. My ear, at least, was thoroughly fooled: there had to be a little orchestra up there, going through its silver-and-bronze routines. (Curious readers can download the performance, and indeed the entire show, here.)

Thompson is hardly the sole remnant of modern pop's Pleistocene era. There are many others, including Paul McCartney and Ray Davies, who have retained at least a shred of their ancient ambitions. But a Rolling Stones concert, for example, is largely a novelty act at this point--it's like seeing the last remaining Tasmanian Devil in captivity. Whereas Thompson, even as he approaches eligibility for Social Security and Medicare, is actually getting better. Is there another Sixties survivor, another wheezing titan, of whom this can be said?

Tags: richard thompson

18 Comments

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Jay — 5:38PM on Jun 22nd 2007

1. I'm not sure he's a wheezing titan, but what about Van Morrison? And I haven't seen Gary US Bonds lately, but he always had energy to spare.

James Marcus — 6:00PM on Jun 22nd 2007

2. You're right, Van the Man is another example. I'm not sure he's actually topping his earlier work, but yes, he's holding his own. And like Richard Thompson, he never traded too heavily on good looks or erotic magnetism, which turns out to be a real advantage when you're pushing 60. As for Gary US Bonds, he had his Indian summer (courtesy of Bruce Springsteen), but I haven't heard much from him since 1981.

alexia — 9:09PM on Jun 22nd 2007

3. Also be sure to check out Thompson's work on the soundtrack for Werner Herzog's film "Grizzly Man." Rent the film and watch the 60-minute bonus feature about the 2-day recording of the soundtrack. Nothing was written down. Thompson and Herzog just talked for a while and then Thompson started playing. The music is incredible.

mm — 12:13AM on Jun 23rd 2007

4. Thanks so much for this story!!!!!!!! I was so happy to read about RT's show...haven't seen him in 2 years and your description of "Vincent" made me really wish I could have been there!!!!!

ralph — 12:15AM on Jun 23rd 2007

5. How about Bonnie Bramlett ? She has a powerful voice, even better than when sang with Bonnie and Delanay and friends.She has a new c.d. out and it's great.

James Marcus — 12:16AM on Jun 23rd 2007

6. You're welcome! If you follow the link in the story itself, you can download the version of "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" from the show. Phenomenal stuff.

James Marcus — 12:17AM on Jun 23rd 2007

7. Hmmm, I didn't know about the Bonnie Bramlett disc--I'll have to track it down. Thanks for the tip.

nyctaper — 8:55PM on Jun 23rd 2007

8. Thanks for the link to my recording. It was truly the most difficult setting I've ever had within which to attempt to record. But your review thoroughly captures the vibe of the concert. It was truly a unique and profound experience.

James Marcus — 9:47PM on Jun 23rd 2007

9. Actually, my thanks are due to you for preserving such an astonishing performance. I've listened to my favorites ("Persuasion," "Sunset Song," "Take Care the Road You Choose," and of course "Vincent Black Lightning") continuously since Friday morning. The biblical downpour during the second cut only adds to the unique atmosphere. So again: a million thanks. I meant to send you an email but couldn't find an address on the site.

johanna — 9:47AM on Jun 24th 2007

10. A perfect example of the contrast of "aging titan" styles is Rod Stewart and Van Morrison closing out successive days at the main stage at Jazz Fest this spring. Rod vamped an posed his way through the part of his set I stayed for, for old times sake, when he wasn't leaving the stage for whatever reason - 3 time in 45 minutes. Van's set, on the other hand, was worth the whole trip to me - an absolute tour d'force. He played pretty much every instrument on stage as well as his voice. He doesn't really engage the audience, but the music is just riveting nonetheless. He may not have traded on his looks, but, showing my age here, he was a most beautiful boy.

busterben47 — 3:09PM on Jun 24th 2007

11. For James Marcus, the title of Bonnnie Bramlett's c. d. is Roots, Blues and Jazz. It came out in late 2006. It has a couple of original songs and some great covers.

Miasma — 12:37PM on Jun 25th 2007

12. Though poured-on and shivering-wet like most others there (and though both too old to rock & roll and old enough to die), I am so glad and grateful I made it. I have never heard RT play electric guitar before. He's incredible, and brings with him a fantastic backing band. I'd say that folk rock will never die, except, well, it's actually long dead. But that someone older than I can play like that, and move a crowd like that, reinstills joy in living. I, too, have heard some of Thompson's fantastic live and recorded versions of 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, his wonderfully-updated guitar virtuosos rendering of the classic outlaw ballad. But never like what he did the other night, in which he transcended what was already a gorgeous song in all respects -- music, singing, lyrics -- by upping the ante, playing it at a pace to match the lyrics, i.e., to the death, while simultaneously heightening its emotional punch with sweetly discordant runs that somehow just kept adding and adding to what was already more than enough without ever once going over the top. Old geezer that I am, I was pleasantly shocked to find virtually the whole performance already posted on the web, in fairly high quality audio. I can only thank the responsible party, and James Marcus for the heads-up and link to it, and hope that what he did, which made my day and a whole lot more, and allows me to go again and again to the mountaintop, is not unethical/illegal.

James Marcus — 12:37PM on Jun 25th 2007

13. Agreed, absolutely. How he can pull something new and electrifying out of a song he's been performing steadily since 1991 is beyond me. I had a nervous moment when I listened to the recorded concert for the first time--had I just imagined that stellar "Vincent Black Lightning"? The answer: nope.

bob wilbat — 4:10PM on Jun 25th 2007

14. Ian Hunter should be added to your list. I just him in concert at the House of Blues in Chicago (6/7) Fabulous! His latest CD is just as good or better than his other works.

ben — 3:41AM on Jun 26th 2007

15. I was thre, and it was a great show. I loved the new songs (Mr. Stupid I thought was a bit of sugary throwaway, but that's ok), but, yes, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning was revelatory, the best I'd ever heard. That song said it all--with all the thousands of times he must have played that song, to be able to pull out a performance that inspired, passionate, and original yet true just says everything about who RT is and what he does. When the crowd got up and screamed after that,it wasn't out of sentimentality--he just blew us all away. And while that was the high point, the whole show was really that good.

George Reed — 8:38AM on Jun 26th 2007

16. Enjoyed your review, but just wanted to make one correction. "Persuasion" was not "originally put together for the soundtrack of the 1990 film Sweet Talker" by Richard and Teddy. "Persuasion" was an instrumental on the soundtrack of that film. Tim Finn of Crowded House, etc. put words to it years later. Thompson first started performing "Persuasion" with vocals when he went out on the road solo with Teddy as his opening act. I wish Teddy had driven up to Peekskill on Saturday to repeat the performance, but I'm glad we didn't get cheated out of "I Still Dream."

James Marcus — 10:51AM on Jun 26th 2007

17. Thanks for the correction, George, which I'll now add to the piece itself. I knew the math was a little funky, since Teddy Thompson was only 14 in 1990. But here's a question: when did father and son record the studio version of "Persuasion" that appears on "Action Packed: The Best of the Capitol Years"?

ben — 12:33AM on Jun 27th 2007

18. That version of Persuasion with Teddy was originally recorded for and released on "Action Packed" as a bonus track AFAIK--no prior release. I had previously been recorded by Tim Finn.

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